Be Intentional! Be creative! Be open! Communicate! Often times we hear family time and we think – dinner together, family game night, or a fancy day long activity. We need to think beyond the stereotypical options. We need to look at our specific family. What is your family schedule? What ages are your kids? Who makes up your family? What do you like to do?

Look at your family and look at time in smaller increments 20 min, 30 min, 60 min…..It doesn’t have to take hours or even one hour. A solid 20 minutes being present to each other as a family can mean the world.

Is family breakfast more feasible for you and those in your home? Is family lunch something that would work better? Is an early dinner or a late evening snack a better option? You can even consider have a late night dessert together, because it works out for you.

You don’t like games, but you like to bake or cook? Make something together – you can even give each person separate jobs throughout the kitchen and still be together. Is family movie night your thing, but late nights are hard – have family movie afternoon instead! Do you like to be outside – go for a walk, picnic or bike ride together. Create together – color (anyone can do it!), paint, draw etc. Run errands together….A couple necessary errands linked together with a stop for a special treat – can be the bests family time!

Remember……Family time doesn’t have to happen every day. Make a goal of a 3 times a week and be creative and open to ways you can have family time on a daily basis.

One more thing…..Communicate your expectations. Don’t assume that everyone feels the same and realizes the importance. Let everyone know that family time is a priority and ask and share ideas.

If we are intentional about it, creative and open to small, quality increments of time; opportunities will appear more often than we ever thought possible.

Don’t give up! Family time is important and no matter how busy you are – family time is possible if you make it a priority and are intentional.